CMP Announces USAMU’s SFC Brandon Green as 2023 National Matches First Shot Speaker

May 15, 2023

Civilian Marksmanship Program▸The First Shot▸CMP Announces USAMU’s SFC Brandon Green as 2023 National Matches First Shot Speaker

PORT CLINTON, Ohio – The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is privileged to announce the 2023 National Matches First Shot Speaker will be renowned U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit member, Sgt. 1^st Class Brandon Green. After being part of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) since 2004, Green has announced his retirement in 2023 – making this year’s National Matches his last in uniform.

Each year, the First Shot Ceremony serves as a welcoming event for guests, participants, volunteers and staff conducting the National Rifle and Pistol Matches at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Facility. The century-old marksmanship event features a month of competitions, vendors and educational opportunities in a variety of disciplines. The First Shot Ceremony includes an afternoon of prominent individuals, vintage military displays, live band compositions and other experiences for visitors to enjoy.

The 2023 First Shot Ceremony is open to the public and will take place Monday, July 10, at 4:30 p.m. on the grounds of Camp Perry – headlined by Green, who will speak and make the traditional first shot downrange to officially open the National Matches. Green will be firing the M70 bolt rifle used by DCM Emeritus and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Gary Anderson, to shoot the National Matches 200-yard standing record in 1971, as well as during the 2014 First Shot Ceremony.

Green is widely known as one of the best shots of the modern era, garnering a celebrated and illustrious marksmanship career as an individual and as a team member. With the USAMU, he has been an integral part of multiple record-setting teams in both service rifle and long range rifle and has acted as the lead instructor of the unit’s marksmanship training courses, even during the Small Arms Firing School held at the National Matches each year. Green also served as Team Chief for the USAMU Service Rifle Team until 2022.

As an individual, the 2018 National Matches saw Green not only overtake the prestigious President’s 100 Match for the very first time in his career, but also firing a new national record as he cleared the course with a perfect score of 400-20x – something no other person had accomplished since the match began in 1894. Unsurprisingly, his record score remains unmatched.

Prior to his near 20-year career with the USAMU, the Louisiana native began on the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps air rifle team out of Bogalusa High School, where he became the first recipient (Badge #1) of the Junior Distinguished Air Rifle Badge. His successes as a junior sparked the attention of the USAMU out of Fort Benning, Ga., which immediately recruited him after graduation in 2003. After finishing Small Arms Repair School in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., he was assigned as a Soldier to the USAMU in March 2004.

From there, Green has made his name known across the country, earning several accolades, including being named Soldier of the Year by the Military Marksmanship Association in 2013.

At the National Matches in 2017, Green fired a record score of 499-30x during the National Trophy Individual (NTI) event – one of the highest regarded competitions of the Matches. He went on to earn the Mountain Man title and a national record score, beating the score the following year for a new record of 1296-83X that still stands today. Additionally, in 2017, he earned the championship title during the CMP’s inaugural 2400 Aggregate Rifle event during the National Matches highpower rifle series.

Green is a three-time winner of the Mountain Man Trophy, awarded to the highest aggregate score in the President’s Rifle, NTI and National Trophy Team (NTT) matches, and is a three-time winner of the NTI itself, among several other individual National Trophy wins and records.

In 2022, Green became the first individual to ever sweep all four of the National Rifle Association’s Long Range Championship events. Green is also a five-time champion of the Interservice Long Range Championships.

Outside of marksmanship, his military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (3), Army Commendation Medal (2), Army Achievement Medals (4), Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon and the Army Service Ribbon.

Find more about the 2023 National Matches, including a full schedule of events, on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/cmp-national-matches/.